Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §92

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 92 of 268.

Source (Persian)

( الی ان قلنا ) قل يا قوم هل ينبغی لکم ان تنسبوا انفسکم الی الرّحمن و ترتکبوا ما ارتکبه الشّيطان لا و جمال السّبحان لو کنتم من العارفين * قدّسوا قلوبکم عن حبّ الدّنيا و السنکم عن الافتراء و ارکانکم عمّا يمنعکم عن التّقرّب الی اللّه العزيز الحميد * قل الدّنيا هی اعراضکم عن مطلع الوحی و اقبالکم الی ما لا ينفعکم و ما منعکم اليوم عن شطر اللّه انّه اصل الدّنيا اجتنبوها و تقرّبوا الی المنظر الاکبر هذا المقرّ المشرق المنير * يا قوم لا تسفکوا الدّماء و لا تحکموا علی نفس الّا بالحقّ * کذلک امرتم من لدن عليم خبير * انّ الّذين يفسدون فی الارض بعد اصلاحها اولئک جاوزوا ما حدّد فی الکتاب فبئس مثوی المعتدين

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And further We have said: "Doth it behoove you to relate yourselves to Him Who is the God of mercy, and yet commit the things which the Evil One hath committed? Nay, by the Beauty of Him Who is the All-Glorified! could ye but know it. Purge your hearts from love of the world, and your tongues from calumny, and your limbs from whatsoever may withhold you from drawing nigh unto God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Say: By the world is meant that which turneth you aside from Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Revelation, and inclineth you unto that which is unprofitable unto you. Verily, the thing that deterreth you, in this day, from God is worldliness in its essence. Eschew it, and approach the Most Sublime Vision, this shining and resplendent Seat. Shed not the blood of anyone, O people, neither judge ye anyone unjustly. Thus have ye been commanded by Him Who knoweth, Who is informed of all. They that commit disorders in the land after it hath been well ordered, these indeed have outstepped the bounds that have been set in the Book. Wretched shall be the abode of the transgressors!"

Translation Notes

الی

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

ان

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

قلنا

q-w-l → “We have said”

literal: little; few; scanty; small in quantity

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

قوم

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

هل

h-l → “people” Distinctive

literal: interrogative particle; whether; is it that

ينبغی

n-b-gh → “behooveth”

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

لکم

l-k-m → “you”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

تنسبوا

n-s-b → “relationship” Distinctive

literal: relation; relationship; connection; attribution; proportion

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

ترتکبوا

r-k-b → “commit”

literal: to ride; to commit; to undertake; composition; combination; structure

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

الشّيطان

sh-ṭ-n → “the Evil One”

literal: Satan; devil; evil one; accursed one

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

جمال

j-m-l → “by the Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

السّبحان

s-b-ḥ → “All-Glorified”

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

لو

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

کنتم

k-w-n → “ye”

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

من

m-n → “from”

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

العارفين

ʿ-r-f → “know”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

قدّسوا

q-d-s → “holy” Distinctive

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

قلوبکم

q-l-b → “your hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

عن

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

حبّ

ḥ-b-b → “love”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

الدّنيا

d-n-w → “of the world”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

السنکم

l-s-n → “your tongues”

literal: arrow; pointed weapon; spear-point; edge

الافتراء

f-r-y → “calumny”

literal: slander; calumny; fabrication; false accusation

ارکانکم

r-k-n → “foundations” Distinctive

literal: pillar; cornerstone; support; fundamental element; limb; member

يمنعکم

m-n-ʿ → “may withhold”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

التّقرّب

q-r-b → “drawing nigh”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

العزيز

ʿ-z-z → “the Mighty” Distinctive

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

الحميد

ḥ-m-d → “the All-Praised”

literal: praise; to praise

هی

h-w-y → “desires”

literal: He; He is

اعراضکم

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turneth you aside”

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

مطلع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dawning-Place”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

الوحی

w-ḥ-y → “of Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

اقبالکم

q-b-l → “inclineth you”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

ينفعکم

n-f-ʿ → “is unprofitable unto you”

literal: benefits; profits; advantages

اليوم

y-w-m → “in this day”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

شطر

sh-ṭ-r

literal: side, direction; half; to split

انّه

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: I, verily; behold I

اصل

ʾ-ṣ-l → “essence”

literal: evening; afternoon; noble; ancient; nightfall; genesis

اجتنبوها

j-n-b → “thee” Distinctive

literal: excellency; side; presence

المنظر

n-ẓ-r → “Consider” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

الاکبر

k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

المقرّ

q-r-r → “Seat”

literal: matter; affair; thing

المشرق

sh-r-q → “shining”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

المنير

n-w-r → “resplendent”

literal: light; illumination

تسفکوا

s-f-k → “Shed”

literal: to shed; to spill; bloodshed; to shed (blood)

الدّماء

d-m-y → “the blood of anyone”

literal: breath; moment; instant

تحکموا

ḥ-k-m → “judge”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

علی

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

نفس

n-f-s → “anyone” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

الّا

ʾ-kh-r

literal: end; hereafter; other

بالحقّ

ḥ-q-q → “truth”

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

کذلک

dh-l-k → “Thus”

literal: thus; likewise; also

امرتم

ʾ-m-r → “been commanded”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

لدن

l-d-n → “by”

literal: from; on the part of; from before; near

عليم

ʿ-l-m → “Who knoweth” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

خبير

kh-b-r → “Who is informed of all” Distinctive

literal: all-knowing; aware; well-informed; omniscient

الّذين

l-dh-y → “They that”

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

يفسدون

f-s-d → “mischief” Distinctive

literal: corruption; corrupt; corrupter

فی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الارض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “in the land” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

بعد

b-ʿ-d → “after”

literal: after; behind; distance

اصلاحها

ṣ-l-ḥ → “it hath been well ordered”

literal: peace; reconciliation

اولئک

ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

جاوزوا

j-w-z → “transgressed” Distinctive

literal: permissible; allowed; possible; fair; lawful

حدّد

ḥ-d-d → “limitations” Distinctive

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

الکتاب

k-t-b → “the Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

فبئس

b-ʾ-s → “Wretched”

literal: wretched; adversity; harm

مثوی

th-w-y → “shall be the abode”

literal: abode; abode/dwelling

المعتدين

ʿ-d-w → “enemies” Distinctive

literal: transgressor; insolent; arrogant one

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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